CHATURBHUJ-2 -6. A Suspect

Thoughts like what was she doing in that lane in that severe weather began to cloud his mind. It then struck him that the well-known Ganesh temple of Amrapalli was not far away from there and thus she may be coming after paying a visit to the holy shrine.

Why did she walk barefoot, Chaturbhuj began to wonder. The answer which satisfied him was that owing to lack of getting any transport she was forced to walk back home. It could also be that she resided in that area. What gave more credence to this belief was the rich saree which she wore. That lane was known to belong to the richer class of the kingdom.

What should be done now? Should he send his men in search of her in that lane? Such a move may alert the killer which he did not want. What else could be done to know her whereabouts, he deliberated? His thoughts rested on the attire she wore that day. If it was to be presumed that she was going to the temple for the first time since the King’s historic verdict where women could visit holy places, then it may be that she was wearing a new saree to mark the occasion. In that case it could be a recent purchase for much time had not elapsed ever since the King’s pronouncement. Thus, should an enquiry be made with the garment shops of that area to see if anyone had lately made a purchase of that saree? If luck had its way and the lady had bought this saree from a shop where she was a regular customer, then the shopkeeper might be able to reveal some vital clues about her identity. As he thought in these terms, suddenly something struck him. There was a famous garment shop in that locality which belonged to Haridas who was also a good friend of the King. In fact, Sukhdeva had bought several of his royal attires from Haridas. Even Chaturbhuj knew him well. As he thought about Haridas, some more facts came flashing to his mind. He, at once, called for his chariot and asked his charioteer to take him to the reputed garment shop. On reaching there he quickly went inside. As heads turned towards him, some of the customers and even the shopkeepers seemed to recognize him. All of them greeted him to which Chaturbhuj responded by folding his palms. He looked around the shop and then enquired with one of the shopkeepers about Haridas. “Mallik is not keeping good health today. Thus, he decided against coming to the shop. I am sorry, sire! May I help you with any of the items here for sale?”

Chaturbhuj was disappointed in learning about Haridas. He, then, enquired about the saree he was looking for. “I am again sorry, sire! We have run out of stock of that saree! However, it would be available in a couple of days’ time! If you are interested, I can show you the same pattern saree in a different colour.”

Chaturbhuj politely denied the request and came back to his chariot. He asked the charioteer to take him to Haridas’s bungalow which was not far away from there. After a short trip, they reached their destination. The structure of the bungalow resembled to Perimal’s house with it’s low-rise sloping roof, verandah and a garden that had a narrow stretch in the middle. Chaturbhuj quickly took this path, reached the verandah and then the wooden door where he knocked. It was opened by a lanky person who bowed low in veneration seeing the eminent minister. Chaturbhuj was escorted inside, made to sit and the person quickly disappeared inside. Within moments, a well-built man with a round face, ruffled hairs, medium complexion, parrot shaped nose and fat lips entered in.

“My honour to have you here, Chaturbhuji!” he greeted the minister.

Chaturbhuj at once got up and joined his palms. “I am honoured too! How are you feeling now?” he queried anxiously.

Without raising any suspicion, the minister already observed something which was one of the chief reasons for his visit to the house. He decided to rake up this observation some time later.

Asking his guest to be seated, Haridas himself reclined to a seat having a pink silky cushion. “I was feeling indisposed in the morning. However, after taking some rest, I am fine now. In fact, I was having thoughts of going to the shop now!” he answered.

“That is great!” Chaturbhuj exclaimed in relief. “Actually, I had been to your shop in lookout for a particular sari I had seen sometime back but could not get it.”

He, thereby, described the saree and then further elaborated, “A few days back, I had been to our nearby Ganesha temple incognito for I did not want to garner any unwanted attention. There, I had seen a veiled lady wearing the saree which I just described. I was much impressed by the richness of the sari and at once decided to buy it. My brother’s sister who resides in Amlapur – the neighbouring kingdom in the north – celebrates her birthday next month! I want to gift that saree to her!”

“Rest assured, Chaturbhuji!” Haridas spoke with reliance. “In the next two days, you will get it from our shop!”

“Thanks a lot! I only hope that I get the same saree which I saw that lady wearing in the temple. I realize that it is a very popular saree having so many different shades and colours. However, my choice rests on what I described to you now!”

Chaturbhuj made his choice known explicitly.

Haridas excused himself and went inside. He soon appeared with a sari and kept it beside the minister.